When using hand tools to cut out mortises and inlays, what are the proper tools, techniques, and tips that help in achieving a nice “flat” bottom surface. The sides are a cinch to cut since the blade edge is traveling in the same direction as the desired cut. But when it comes to cutting a flat surface in a mortise with an edge that is nearly perpendicular, how do you achieve a good clean-cut surface, especially when the hole does not allow much room for angling the chisel?
The difficulty of the problem has been compounded because of the wood I’m working in has figured grain that cuts well one way but is a major pain the other.
I also mentioned inlays as I am trying to do an inlay with rather thin pieces (1/16 – 1/32″). Chisels are too wide and I encounter the same problem with a knife trying to get flat bottoms. Thanks for any tips!
Edited 4/24/2006 12:09 pm by zombeerose
Replies
A Western-style swan neck chisel may help here.
Also, there are a couple of Japanese-style chisels that are used to clean up (the bottoms of) mortises:
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=17.120.1&dept_id=12800
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=17.120.2&dept_id=12800
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=17.120.3&dept_id=12800
James
Thanks for the links James. The Sokosare Nomi - Matsumura chisel looks especially intriguing :)
"100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
You've got two different questions:
Regarding mortises, the bottom is irrelevant. Its not a glue surface, its nothing. Forget about it entirely. Pretend it doesn't exist. DO NOT buy a swan neck chisel.
Regarding shallow depressions for inlays, you should first ask if you are doing inlay work or veneer work. I think the difference is depth. You may NOT be able to adequately excavate an area to a depth of 1/16 to a flatness that will be acceptable for a thin sheet. That's what veneer is for.
To do a deeper excavation, a router is used. I prefer the "old widow's tooth" style that uses my plow plane's irons. The sort being the stanley/ D router type with the footed blade. To perform initial excavation, I greatly prefer center bits. You'll often see this technique used on period rifles and muskets where the brass is inlayed or most commonly where boxes made from the solid are formed to hold whetstones.
Feel free to email me off line if you need pictures of any of this stuff.
Adam
Hi Adam,
I realize that the bottoms of mortises would not be seen and therefore require little attention. Two reasons why I mentioned them: a) I've seen so many pictures of "perfect" hand-cut mortises with amazingly flat bottoms that I couldn't help but wonder why (or actually how), and b) mortises are an easy way to explain/visualize my goal of flat bottom "holes" since every WW knows what a mortise is :) . As far as inlay, I am not referring to marquetry, which is as far as I understand, the matching up of separate pieces of veneer to create the whole, much like a jigsaw puzzle. Rather, my intent is a complex pattern that is cut into a solid piece of wood but that does not go all the way thru. The difficulty comes into play that many of the cuts are simply too small (1/16" or less) to allow for the use of a router. Not to mention, the lines twist and turn like crazy.Thanks for the info."100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
Edited 4/24/2006 3:38 pm by zombeerose
Are you familiar with the OWT? It woud kinda do what you want and you could put a pretty small (1/10"? 1/8") cutter in there. Unless what you are doing is completely impossible/impractical, an OWT should help. You could make one yourself. I had a box full of them somewhere. I might be able to send you one if you need it, but you'd have to use your own iron. I recently used one for the shallow brass plate on a modern door lock. It really works pretty great. I also made walnut whetstone boxes so all this is still in my mind.Adam
Hi Adam,
No, I'm afraid I have no clue what OWT is. Can you elaborate (w/ pics)? I'll try to search around to see if any info is floating around.Thx!
"100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
OWT = Old Woman's Tooth. A style of router plane. Well, it is a router plane.
For a look at building one, try Alf's website:
http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/wwrouterplane.html
Take care, Mike
Thanks Mike. That helps :)
"100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
As for flat-botomed mortises, why bother? 1) It's never seen and 2) your mortise should probably be a little deeper than your tennon anyway, and 3) you'll be gluing to end grain. So unless I'm missing something, there's no point in even trying.
As for inlays, I've had good luck with good 'ol fashioned router planes, AKA, an "Old Woman's Tooth". I've got a nice little one (Stanley or Record, can't remember offhand which) that is my go-to tool for insetting hinges, latches, etc. Leaves a pretty smooth surface, but you have to do a bit of planning to ensure you'll have a good reference surface to work off of.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the post. Please refer to my post to Adam as he brought up similar points.
"100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
Here's a good place to look for hand tool techniques:
http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDocs/Wood_How_To/INDEX_How_To.htm
On that page, look in the right hand column for three articles by Bob Smalser on chopping mortises.
zombee,
An easy way to achieve relatively uniform depth for a shallow recess, as for a butt hinge or figural inlay, is to repeatedly strike a chisel held at an angle moving the chisel perhaps 1/8" at a time. The angle at which the chisel is presented to the wood, and the force of the blow with the mallet, determine the depth of the cuts. The resulting chips can be removed with the flat of the chisel in the case of a butt hinge seat, or with a router plane, as others have suggested. I routinely rout to a depth to accomodate commercial veneers using this technique. The router plane (old woman's tooth) is easily made, mine is a shaped block of boxwood, using an allen wrench for a blade, held in place with a wedge.
For narrow inlaid lines, I have made a series of tools that utilise a captured pair of thin blades (bevels facing together) to scribe parallel lines, which I then excavate between, with a shop made chisel ground from a warding file that is about 1/32" wide. As with mortises, the bottom of the channel for a line need not be perfectly smooth or flat, the glue bonds the inlay to the walls of the channel.
Regards,
Ray Pine
Good suggestions. Thanks Ray :)
"100 Years" -- scribbled on the wall by a woodworker to remind him to do his best and as a warranty on his work -- "If anything I make fails in the first hundred years, bring it back, and I'll take care of it. After that, there will be a small charge. (Original purchaser only)"
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled